Diluted rules on cattle sale

The controversial notification on a ban on sale of animals for slaughter in livestock markets has been finally scraped by the Central Government and it came out with new draft rules doing away with the clause on “restrictions on sale of cattle”. This means cattle, including cows, can be sold in animal markets, even for slaughter wherever it is legal.

Last year’s notification had not prohibited slaughter as such, but restrictions on sale of cattle for this purpose in animal markets had the effect of restraining it even in Kerala, Bengal and certain NE states where cow slaughter and sale of beef is not banned.